Twisting-machine.



No. 808,084. PATENTED DEC. 26, 1905. P. HARDMAN TWISTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 10,1900,

' WITNESSES: & INVENTOR Peder Hard/22am fill (Lil i-Q ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PETER HARDMAN, OF VVILLIMANTIO, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN THREAD COMPANY, OF NEV YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEIV JERSEY.

TWISTING-MACHINE.

Patented Dec. 26, 1905.

Application filed November 10, 1900. Serial No. 36,036-

1"0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, PETER HARDMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at VVillimantic, Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Twisting- Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in twisting-machines for thread, twine, cord, rope, or the like, and has for its main objects economy, effectiveness, and speed of operation.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a twistingmachine embodying my improvements. Figs. 2 and 3 are views of details.

1 is the frame of the machine. 2 is a driving-shaft suitably journaled therein, and 3 is a pulleyfixed thereon. In the upper part of the frame there is journaled a hollow shaft 4, carrying a pulley 5, which is driven by a belt 6 from pulley 3. The shaft 4 carries a flier 7.

S is a broad pulley fixed upon the shaft 2. i

9 is a reciprocating carriage mounted upon a suitable guideway or track 10.

11 is a shaft journaled in the carriage 9. 12 is a pulley fixed on said shaft 11.

13 is a belt running over the pulleys 12 and 8.

14 is a belt-tightener of any suitable form for the belt 13.

15 is a feed-roll over which the thread to be twisted is passed.

16 is a stationary separating-plate, which may be slotted at its periphery at the desired number of points and adapted to separate the threads prior to the twisting process.

17 is a condenser between the separator 16 and the shaft 4 and by which the threads are drawn together just prior to the twisting process.

1 8 is a cam by which the carriage 9 is slowly reciprocated through the medium of any suit able connection, such as a bell-crank lever 19 and link 20.

21 and 22 are antifriction-rolls preferably provided on the thread-carrying arm of the flier 7.

23 is a bobbin or spool removably carried by the shaft 11.

24 is the twisted thread, and 25 25 are untwisted strands thereof.

The twisting operation is effected by the rapid rotation of the flier 7 and takes place in the chamber within the hollow shaft 4, almost directly in the axis of rotation thereof. The feed-roll 15 is driven in any suitable manner to control the feed of the untwisted strands of thread 25.to the machine. This rotation of the feed-roll may be effected, for example, byberiel-gears and a shaft 26, driven by the driving-shaft 2. Other well-known means might be substituted.

This invention aims at accomplishing two important results--viz., first, great working capacity; second, greatest economy of power. These results are attained and are partly due to the twistin of the thread within the chambered shaft close to the axis of rotation and pprtily to the economical use of the power app ie In operation the several strands of thread are led to the feed-roll 15, then separated by the member 16, then condensed by the member 17, then twisted within and by the hollow shaft 4, and then led over the antifriction-Wheels 22 and 21 of the flier-arm, and from whence it leads to the bobbin 23, to which it is fastened. When the machine is started, the flier 7 is rotated very rapidly. The bobbin 23 being connected thereto by means of the thread 24 is also caused to rotate very rapidly. It is obvious, however, that in order that the twisted thread shall be wound'up upon the bobbin the speed of the bobbin with relation to the-speed of the flier must be different, (either more or less.) In the form of machines shown in the drawings the speed of the bobbin is designed to be somewhat slower than the speed of the flier, and this is effected by the employment of a brake-belt, which in this connection is a source of great utility, in that it effects great economies hitherto overlooked. By causing the bobbin to lag in speed relatively to the flier 7 a proper tension is also imparted to the thread 24, since it is the thread that pulls the bobbin around. The tension of the thread is therefore dependent upon the amount of resistance applied to cause the lag in the bobbin. As shown in the drawings, the pulleys 3 and 5 carry a belt, which is designed to drive the flier 7 without substantially any slip. The pulley 8 is shown as of less diameter than the pulley 3. The pulley 3 is also shown of less diameterthan the pulley 5. The belt 6 will be termed the driving-belt and the belt 13 will be termed the traveling brakebelt. In the particular form of apparatus shown in the drawings the peripheral speed of the pulley 12 is in excess of the speed of the traveling brake-belt 13. This is due to the relative size of the various pulleys. The speed of the belt 13 is practically the same as the speed of the pulley 8. Consequently as the peripheral speed of the pulley 12 is in excess of the speed of the belt 13 it will cause a drag or tension upon one side of said belt. The pulley rotates in the same direction as the bobbin 23 and is rotated by the pull of the thread 24 through the medium of the bobbin 23 and shaft 11.

The resistance, therefore, which causes the bobbin to lag is partly frictional resistance caused by the slippage of the pulley 12 in the loop of the moving belt 13.

Heretofore it has been the custom to cause the bobbin to lag by use of a stationary friction-belt applied to the pulley 12. It was observed, however, that by this method the parts were quickly heated to a high temperature, clearly showing that there was considerable waste of energy and an inability to run at high speed. Comparative tests have shown this to be the case. By my invention very much less initial power is required to do the same amount of twisting and winding than was required by the old method. This saving of power and increase of capacity is efiected in the simple manner heretofore described of substituting in place of a stationary brake a traveling brake. This mechanism possesses a great advantage over the old type in that the bearingsurfaces, particularly at the pulley 12, are not heated to such an extent as to endanger the running of the machine, which fact permits a higher rate of speed to be attained.

\Vhile each bobbin is being wound the layers of thread gradually build up until the bobbin is full, whereupon it may be removed and an empty one substituted. The bobbins 23 are merely designed to retain the thread temporarily and until it is desired to wind it in the form of a commercially-finished cop. The traverse of the thread is slow, and one should not be confused by the apparent steep pitch of the thread upon the core of the bobbin illustrated in the drawings. It is there shown diagrammatically for the purpose of illustrating its direction, which could not be otherwise clearly sketched. The fact that the twisting is done at a point substantially in the axis of rotation of the hollow shaft 4 and within its chambered interior prevents said strands from ballooning, (spreading out to an undue extent by centrifugal action,) which when present is a serious handicap upon the speed of the machine and a frequent cause of imperfect work.

It has been suggested herein that the thread will be wound upon the bobbin if the which event the flier must be caused to lag behind the bobbin. This is accomplished by merely reversing the action of the belts, so that the main driving-belt will be associated directly with the bobbin-pulley and the traveling brake-belt associated directly with the pulley of the flier, in which event the same objects will be attained as heretofore described. Inasmuch as there is a difference in the ratios of the pulleys connected by the belts, it is apparent that in operation one of the pulleys will act as a friction-abutment, so that friction loss will be taken between moving parts of the machine.

What I claim is 1. In a twisting-machine, in combination, a driving-shaft, two pulleys mounted to rotate therewith, one of said pulleys having a long cylindrical surface, a flier-shaft, a pulley thereon, an open-armed flier carried by said flier-shaft and driven from said pulley, power-driven means outside of said flier for controlling the feed of the strands to the flier, a longitudinallymovable carriage, a shaft rotatably mounted on said carriage and adapted to support a bobbin within the arms of said flier, a pulley mounted on said bobbinshaft, a belt connecting said pulley with the pulley on said driving-shaft having a long cylindrical surface, and means for reciprocating said carriage and bobbin-shaft, the ratio between the pulleys on all three of the shafts being such that the bobbin-pulley when thread is not being wound is normally driven at a less speed than the angular speed of said bobbin when thread is being wound, whereby the energy necessary for maintaining constant tension in the thread being wound is consumed in HiCtlOll at a point between the bobbin and the belt on the bobbin-pulley.

2. In a twisting-machine, a driving-shaft, a hollow flier-shaft driven therefrom, a flier carried by said flier-shaft, a bobbin-shaft r0- tatable with the bobbin, two rollers outside said flier for controlling the feed of strands through said hollow flier-shaft to said flier, means for driving one of said rollers from said driving-shaft, means for reciprocating said bobbin-shaft, moving means for retarding the bobbin and bobbin-shaft when thread is being wound, and means for adjusting the extent of retardation produced by said moving means.

Signed at New York, N. Y., this 24th day of October, 1900.

PETER HARDMAN. WVitnesses:

L. VREELAND, R. S. ALLYN. 

